


We're gonna vent our frustration

by BrilliantlyHorrid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Daisy trying to let herself want things, Day 4, F/M, Fluff, Implied former Lincoln/Daisy, Late Night Chats, Like a monster, Lola - Freeform, Not incredibly Lincoln friendly but not like totally hateful, Oh and sorry in advance, Reflection, Skoulson Romfest 2k16, short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 11:37:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5783965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrilliantlyHorrid/pseuds/BrilliantlyHorrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Why not the driver’s seat?” Coulson asked, and Daisy shifted to face him.<br/>“Beeecause I thought if I did, I might start her up and peel out of here faster than you can say ‘Don’t touch Lola.’”</p><p>Skoulson Romfest 2k16: Day 4-- Lola, 'Like a monster,' late night chats</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're gonna vent our frustration

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones

“Thought I’d find you here.”

Daisy turned around in her seat, eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“No,” Coulson admitted, smiling awkwardly. “This is the fourth place I looked.”

“Ah,” she said, turning to face forward again. Next to her, she heard Coulson open the door and climb in.

“Why not the driver’s seat?” He asked, and Daisy shifted to face him. His face was completely open; she could see the curiosity and concern right away. It only seemed fair to be honest.

“ _Beeecause_ I thought if I did, I might start her up and peel out of here faster than you can say ‘Don’t touch Lola.’” Coulson just watched her. “Because you wouldn’t be able to say it. Because we would be gone.” Daisy shook her head. “I wouldn’t steal Lola.”

“I’d trust you with her,” Coulson said, smiling softly. He rested his hands on the steering wheel for a moment before turning and placing one on her knee. “No one would blame you for wanting time away,” he said seriously.  

(She could think of one person who would _definitely_ blame her.)

“Although, I’d of course prefer _you_ not be the one to leave.”

The irritation in Phil's voice was clear, which surprised Daisy. She knew he was never Lincoln’s biggest fan, but he usually at least attempted to sound impartial.

She didn’t hate it.

Maybe it was petty, and confusing, but sometimes she just wished Phil would _say something_. For whatever reason--probably a few of them-- he didn’t like Lincoln. And if he cared about her (which she _knew_ he did,) then it wouldn't be unheard of for him to say something about it, right? Friend to friend, even?

But she couldn’t be mad at Coulson, not for minding his own business and letting her make her own decisions. It was just kind of nice to hear him openly _care_ about it now.

Like maybe, a teensy part of him would be happy, that they were done. Just like the teensy part of her that was relieved.

“Well, that will probably happen soon enough,” she said, trying to adopt a casual tone. “I can’t imagine that he’ll stay much longer, considering.”

It wasn’t that she was in love, though it might be cruel of her to easily admit that. She had gotten into it because of the potential she saw there, or could eventually see there. He had been a source of comfort in Afterlife, though that didn’t last very long, and she felt for him. She really did, when all he wanted was to get back to his life, undisturbed. She had wanted that too, after all.

Until she realized the good she could do.

“I’m sorry, it looks like we’re down another warrior,” she said sincerely. The fact that this again delayed their project getting off the ground was another source of frustration for her. Coulson frowned.

“Don’t apologize for that,” he said, sounding shocked she’d even consider that a problem. “Take care of yourself first, okay? Don’t worry about that.”

Daisy looked at him funny. _I need to take care of myself?_ She wouldn’t say ‘look who’s talking,’ but she sure would think it. _And this was nothing compared to…_

“You don’t have to treat me like I’m heartbroken, Coulson,” she said, sighing. “Well, I guess I am. But not in the way you might think.”

Phil watched her expression carefully, profiler gears turning. Or maybe it wasn’t the profiler in him, but the fact that he knew her better than anyone else ever had.

“Because he’s Inhuman,” Coulson surmised, and Daisy nodded.

“When I changed, I thought I was--” She  stopped, steering clear of that train of thought. “And after everything with Ward, and Miles,” Daisy sighed, annoyed at the turn she had taken. “I just thought that maybe this was some kind of, I don’t know, sign or something. That it this was what was going to fit.” 

Coulson nodded, clearly understanding. _Of course_ he understood. “It just seems like every turn my life takes, it becomes this ridiculously complicated jigsaw puzzle, and at this point there are so many--edges and curves this piece has to fit, I’m not sure I’m going to find one that works.”

 _I know one that could work,_ a little voice in her head whispered. She shushed it. Okay, puzzles were an irresponsible choice of metaphor here.

“Daisy you’re 27,” Coulson said flatly, but not unkindly.

“Yeah, but with the life I have, who knows when I’m going to--” _That_ was the wrong thing to say. Coulson looked like she had just punched him in the gut. _No no no, don’t make that face,_ she thought, panicking. “ _Scratch_ that though, never--nevermind,” she said, eager to change talking points. Taking a breath, she collected herself, giving him time to do the same. “It’s just kind of a bummer," she admitted. "But he made it pretty clear that me prioritizing SHIELD was a problem, and that’s non-negotiable. Inhuman DNA or not.” She shrugged, and Phil surprised her by squeezing her knee lightly. She had forgotten it was there.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “But regardless, you shouldn’t give up on... _that_. In general.” Coulson seemed uncharacteristically uncomfortable then. To be fair, it was kind of funny to her that Phil Coulson was essentially giving her love advice. Also weird, in a way that she didn’t really want to get into. Not alone in a red corvette, late in the evening. “You’re young, and very…” he pursed his lips, gesturing toward her with his hand.

Daisy swallowed down the butterflies that threatened to take over. He was going to say something nice, wasn’t he? So she did what she did best: she went goofy.

“Brilliant?” Daisy asked, pressing two fingers to her chin and tilting her head coyly. She fluttered her eyelashes dramatically and lowered her voice. “ _Painfully_ beautiful?”

“Lovable,” Coulson answered, as if he had just come upon the answer himself. She let her hand fall away, her face taking on a normal expression. She thought.

To be honest, Daisy wasn’t quite sure what face she was making, but it definitely felt _warm_.

“Lovable,” Daisy repeated. “As in, endearing?” Around them, the garage was noticeably silent, thanks to the particularly dark corner Lola was kept in. Just to be cautious.

She wondered if he really _did_ check four places before finding her there. Wandering the base, worried about her. 

“As in,” Phil said, turning to face her more fully. His warm hand landed on her knee again. “Very easy to--”

The sound of something small dropping nearby startled them both out of it, and Daisy realized how close he had gotten. The two of them looked around the garage, not seeing anyone. She cleared her throat, turning back to Coulson, who seemed agitated.

“You were saying?” She asked hopefully. Daisy had told herself, many times over her life, that certain things were impossible. She never wanted to let her expectations get ahead of her, especially when they involved something very, very important.

Coulson may or may not have been one of those things.

But the way he was looking at her now…

“This is inappropriate,” he said quietly, but didn’t pull back or look away from her. This close, she could see there were little flecks in his blue eyes. She hadn’t gotten a good look at them before.

“Maybe,” she agreed, licking her lips then immediately growing self-conscious of the gesture. Phil had clearly noticed, his eyes darting downward for a second.

“We work together, and you just got out of a relationship,” he said, and she could feel his breath on her face.

“Understandable reasons for you to walk away,” Daisy conceded, giving him an out but making it clear _she_ wasn’t going anywhere.

“And you’re young. And brilliant, and...lovable.”

Just as her eyes began to drift shut, a wrinkled formed between Daisy's brows.

“You forgot 'painfully beautiful.'”

Coulson’s other hand moved up to cup her cheek. “A heinous omission,” he whispered apologetically. Curling her hand into his shirt, Daisy decided she could probably forgive him.

 

“And then they just--smashed their faces together,” Hunter said, shaking his head. Simmons gasped.

“They kissed?” She asked, looking over to Mack for his reaction.

“If you could call it that,” Hunter answered. “It was _weird._ ”

“Oh, I think it’s lovely,” Simmons cooed, putting the kettle back on the stove before sitting at the table with her tea. “Well. Unexpected. A bit. But nice for them. They’ve had such a rough go of it lately.” She grimaced, thinking of what the two had been through. All of them. It was nice to see someone happy.

Or hear about it. In great detail.

“What were you doing spying anyway?” Mack asked, and if he was shocked by the news he didn’t show it.

“I was not spying,” Hunter said, defensively, pointing at Mack with his beer. “ _You_ ordered me to put back the gadget I had borrowed--”

“Stolen,” Simmons corrected, and Mack pointed to her and raised his eyebrows at Hunter.

“Acquired without permission,” he conceded, “so once I did that I was already in the garage, decided to take a walk.”

“You were going to take a peek at Lola,” Mack said, and Hunter rolled his eyes.

“It’s a _car._ You make it sound like I was sneaking around outside a girl’s window,” he said. “Anyway, I heard voices, decided to check it out, next thing I know they're _clawing_ at each other."

“They’re very...passionate people,” Jemma observed.

“It looked like he was eating her face.”

“O _kay,_ ” Mack said, holding up his hands, praying it would stop.

“I’m serious, I’m not sure I can look at our former director the same way again,” he said, rubbing his face tiredly as though he had been through a battle. "The _hands_ ," he said mournfully, covering his eyes. 

“Why did you _stick around_?” Mack asked, taking a long sip from his beer.

“I didn’t!” Hunter objected, and Simmons deliberately looked away from behind her mug of tea. “I was a bit shocked, sue me. Then Daisy just sort of _yanked_ him over and I left. Gave them their privacy.”

"How very considerate," Jemma said. 

The three of them sat quietly at the kitchen table, looking at their respective drinks, or some intangible point in the distance. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Joey asked, walking into the kitchen. Everyone just stared. “What?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> "Just put 'and then they smashed their faces together' at the end of the fic and I’m happy."  
> -Becketted, 21 January 2016, 7:14 am EST. 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay this was terribly mean of me, wasn't it. It was out of LOVE! I promise. (Also I didn't have anything prepared for today and look! You helped!)
> 
> (I'm so sorry slash not sorry.)


End file.
